Cliff Inscription Commemorating 192 Martyrs of the 13th Red Army

Cliff Inscription Commemorating 192 Martyrs of the 13th Red Army

The Cliff Inscription Commemorating 192 Martyrs of the 13th Red Army is a classic red tourism attraction.

On the morning of May 24, 1930 (the 28th day of the fourth lunar month), General Hu Gongmian of the 13th Red Army led his troops across the Feiyun River at Tuchang in Rui’an, entering Pingyang. They passed through Hulian in Wanquan and Shitang before arriving outside the west gate of Pingyang County. The peasant and salt workers’ militias from Wanquan and Jiangnan, led by Ye Tingpeng, Wu Xinzhi, and Zheng Xiantang, along with the peasant militia from Rui’an, also arrived outside the county town. At 9 a.m. on the 24th, the 13th Red Army, supported by militias from both Pingyang and Rui’an counties, attacked and entered the county town. They seized some weapons from the defending enemies, stormed the county government building to take the official seal, broke into the prison, and freed over 40 detained civilians. However, they failed to concentrate their forces to completely annihilate the main defending enemies, allowing the adversaries time to regroup. The enemy reorganized and retook the city walls, launching a fierce counterattack from a higher position. The Red Army and militias fought fiercely until 3 p.m. before retreating, with 192 soldiers sacrificing their lives. The fallen were buried at the Xiuchang field outside the west gate of Pingyang County.

The Cliff Inscription Commemorating 192 Martyrs of the 13th Red Army is located at the foot of Jiuhuang Mountain near Xiuchang field outside the west gate of Pingyang County. In 1958, the People’s Committee of Pingyang County carved the cliff inscription on a large rock face at the site to commemorate the martyrs. On a massive rock slope approximately 10 meters high and 12 meters wide, the inscription reads: “In memory of the 192 martyrs including Hu Baoyu who sacrificed gloriously in the struggle against the enemy on April 28, 1930. Their patriotism will live forever.” In front of the cliff inscription, a hexagonal stone pavilion was also built. In April 1985, the People’s Government of Pingyang County relocated the martyrs’ remains to the Pingyang County Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery.

The Cliff Inscription Commemorating 192 Martyrs of the 13th Red Army is a cultural relic protection unit of Pingyang County and also serves as a patriotic education base of the county.

Source: Party History Research Office of the CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee